THE Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) reported it successfully drove away a China Coast Guard (CCG) vessel from the waters off Zambales province.
Meanwhile, the National Security Council (NSC) said the Philippine government would not ask for Beijing’s approval on resupply missions for troops stationed in the West Philippine Sea (WPS).
In a statement, PCG spokesman for the WPS Commodore Jay Tarriela said the PCG ship BRP Teresa Magbanua shooed away the CCG vessel from 85-90 nautical miles to 100-105 nautical miles off the Zambales coast.
“BRP Teresa Magbanua, has achieved a significant milestone by successfully pushing the CCG vessel CCG-3304 further away from the coast of Zambales, now estimated to be at a distance of 100-105 nautical miles,” Tarriela said.
He said the CCG insisted it was operating with China’s maritime territory, essentially dismissing the 2016 Arbitral ruling in favor of the Philippines.
“The BRP Teresa Magbanua has persistently emphasized that the Chinese vessel lacks legal authority and is, in fact, violating the Philippine Maritime Zones Act, the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), and the 2016 Arbitral award,” Tarriela said.
Aside from CCG 3304, the PCG was also closely watching three more Chinese vessels in the area, such as CCG 3502 and 3103, as well as the so-called “monster ship”
“The PCG remains unwavering in its commitment to uphold President Marcos directives, diligently working to prevent CCG from establishing an illegal presence and engaging in coercive actions in the West Philippine Sea, all while ensuring that tensions do not escalate,” Tarriela said.
NSC spokesman assistant director general Jonathan Malaya belied a claim by a Chinese official, saying the Philippines never sought permission from Beijing for its resupply missions at Ayungin (Second Thomas) in WPS.
“We do not get their permission. We do not allow them to board our ships to do inspections, even visual inspection,” Malaya told reporters.
Liu Dejun, spokesperson of the China Coast Guard, alleged that the Philippine government’s latest rotation and resupply mission on Jan. 24 to Ayungin had Beijing’s approval.
“We don’t get permission. We just have a notification system with them that this is the day we will resupply, so do not interfere with our resupply,” Malaya said.
In July last year, the Philippines and China reached a provisional understanding for the conduct of resupply missions to Filipino troops stationed at BRP Sierra Madre in Ayungin Shoal after a Filipino sailor lost a thumb during a clash between Chinese and Filipino troops in the disputed territory.
Former Supreme Court Justice Antonio Carpio had said the provisional understanding should be “temporary” and must “end soon.”
Carpio, who was part of Philippines’ legal team that won the 2016 landmark arbitral ruling at The Hague, warned that China might expand the arrangement to other Philippines-claimed features in the WPS.
“By practice, we actually follow what China wants. We have to sit down with them before we resupply Sierra Madre,” he said.
Malaya clarified however, that the arrangement was only for Ayungin and does not apply to other parts of the West Philippine Sea.
“There is no meeting where we sit down with them or where we meet with them every time we do our resupply mission. We don’t do that,” he stressed.